Cork Farmer Wins EBI Competition

The winners of the first prize of €10,000 in the EBI €100 competition are county Cork dairy farmers Pat and Noreen Cronin. Farming at Cahirkereen, Kilnamartyra, Macroom, County Cork, the Cronins have increased the average EBI of their herd to €80 and increased farm profit through better breeding.

The competition, which is sponsored by ACCBank, carries a total prize fund of €30,000. In addition to the overall winner, three regional winners and a development category winner were each presented with a prize fund of €2,500. The regional winners in Munster were Michael and Marguerite Crowley, Bauravilla Upper, Skibbereen, Co Cork. The Connaught/Ulster winner was Danny Bermingham of Mountrivers, Doonbeg, Co Clare, and the Leinster winners were Philip Donohoe, Ballyellen, Goresbridge, Co. Kilkenny.

The winner of the development category was Richard Starrett, Killendaragh, Lifford, Co Donegal. This category is awarded to the finalist achieving the highest rate of herd genetic improvement over a number of years.

The prizes were presented at a function at Teagasc Moorepark, Co Cork, today Tuesday, 24 July, by Michael Ahern, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with responsibility for Innovation.

Matt Ryan, Teagasc Dairy Programme Manager said: ”This year’s competition again highlights the link between the Economic Breeding Index and farm profit. The winners, the Cronins, have demonstrated how a farmer with a medium-sized dairy herd can push up profits through a planned breeding policy.”

Paddy Horgan, head of agribusiness with ACCBank congratulated the winning farmers saying: “We are pleased with this competition and we recognise the importance of EBI as a means of increasing profits on dairy farms.”

Andrew Cromie of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, said that EBI combines milk production, fertility, calving and beef merit in one economic index. He pointed out that the top herds in the country now have an average EBI of almost double the national average.

Dairy editor with the Irish Farmers Journal, Jack Kennedy said: “We are very pleased with the calibre of the entries this year, and these winners will help to encourage more farmers to breed for higher profits by using high EBI bulls.”

An Open Day on the Cronin farm to showcase their high EBI herd will take place later this year on Tuesday, 11 September. Their average herd EBI of €80 is in the top one per cent nationally, and last year the herd generated a common profit of 16.4 cent per litre.

The judging of the EBI discussion group competition is ongoing and the winners will be announced later this year.